TABLE OF CONTENTS

Under which conditions can I make a claim for damages in the trial against the offender (the criminal proceedings)?

1.2.

At which moment of the procedure should I put forward the claim?

1.3.

How should I put forward the claim, and to whom?

1.4.

How should I present my claim (indicate a total amount and/or specify the individual losses)?

1.5.

Can I get legal assistance before and /or during the proceedings?

1.6.

What evidence will I be required to present in support of my claim?

1.7.

If I am awarded damages by the court, is there any special assistance available to me as a crime victim for the enforcement of the judgment against the offender?

2.

Obtaining compensation from the State or a public body

2.1.

Is it possible to obtain compensation from the State or a public body?

2.2.

Is the possibility limited to victims that have suffered certain types of crime?

2.3.

Is the possibility limited to victims that have sustained certain types of injury?

2.4.

Can relatives or dependants of victims that have died as a result of the crime obtain compensation?

2.5.

Is the possibility of obtaining compensation limited to persons of a certain nationality or persons residing in a certain country?

2.6.

Can I apply for compensation in Portugal if the crime was committed in another country? If so, under what conditions?

2.7.

Is it necessary to have reported the crime to the police?

2.8.

Is it necessary to await the outcome of any police investigations or criminal proceedings before I can apply?

2.9.

If the offender has been identified, is it necessary to first try to get compensation from the offender?

2.10.

If the offender has not been identified or convicted, is it still possible to qualify for compensation? If so, what evidence do I need to supply in support of my application?

2.11.

Is there a time limit for making the application for compensation?

2.12.

For which losses can I be compensated?

2.13.

How will the compensation be calculated?

2.14.

Is there a minimum and/or maximum amount that can be awarded?

2.15.

Will compensation that I have received, or can receive, for the same losses but from other sources (such as insurance) be deducted from the compensation from the State?

2.16.

Are there any other criteria that can influence my chance of receiving compensation, or how the amount of compensation is calculated, such as my own behaviour in relation to the event that caused the injury?

2.17.

Can I get an advance on the compensation? If so, under what conditions?

2.18.

Where can I get the necessary forms and further information on how to apply? Is there a special helpline or website that I can use?

2.19.

Can I get legal assistance for making the application?

2.20.

Where do I send the application?

2.21.

Are there any victim support organisations that can give further assistance?

1.1. Under which conditions can I make a claim for damages in the trial against the offender (the criminal proceedings)?

The
injured party, meaning the person who has suffered damage as a result of the
crime, may bring a claim for civil damages even if he or she does not or
cannot act as civil claimant (a role in the proceedings which can be assumed
by the victim or by his or her heirs or legal representatives, or by anyone
in the case of certain types of crime such as crimes against peace and
humanity, facilitation or the denial of justice, and which involves joining a
civil action to the criminal proceedings).

It is the
responsibility of the Public Prosecution Service to bring a claim for civil
damages on behalf of the State and the persons and interests that it is
required to represent by law.

The
injured party's role in the proceedings is confined to providing evidence to
support the claim for damages.

Claims
for damages to compensate for loss caused by a criminal offence must be
brought as part of the relevant criminal proceedings, and can be made
separately before a civil court only when: (a) there has been no indictment
in the criminal proceedings within eight months of the crime's being
reported, or there have been no developments in that time; (b) the criminal
proceedings have been dismissed or suspended, or lapsed before coming to
trial; (c) the proceedings are based on a private complaint or charge; (d)
there was no damage at the time charges were brought, or the damage or its
full extent were not known; (e) the criminal sentence did not include a
decision on the claim for damages in view of the nature of the issues
involved and the inherent characteristics of the criminal proceedings in
cases where the law allows the criminal courts not to take a decision on such
claims; (f) the claim is brought against the defendant and other persons with
purely civil liability, or only against the latter where the defendant is the
one concerned by the main proceedings; (g) the value of the claim means that
it can be brought before a multi-member court, while the criminal proceedings
must take place before a judge sitting alone; (h) the criminal proceedings
take the form of summary or very summary proceedings; (i) the injured party has
not been informed of the possibility of bringing a civil claim in the
criminal proceedings or been given notice to do so.

If you
are entitled to bring a claim for civil damages you must signal your
intention of doing so before the investigation stage of the proceedings is
closed. You will then be notified of the decision to bring charges or the
indictment by the court as appropriate, so that you may, if you wish, present
a properly structured claim within the time-limit of 20 days. If you have not
stated your intention of filing a damages claim, or have not been given
notification as outlined above, you can file the claim up to 10 days after
the defendant has been notified of the decision to bring charges or of the
indictment by the court.

When brought by the
Public Prosecution Service or the civil claimant, the claim is filed with the
indictment or within the time limit set for it.

A claim
for damages does not have to meet any particular formal requirements and may
consist of a statement in the file, indicating the losses suffered and the
evidence thereof. The claim is usually accompanied by duplicates for the
defendants and the secretary.

It must be submitted to
the court responsible for ruling on the criminal offence.

1.4. How should I present my claim (indicate a total amount and/or specify the individual losses)?

When applying for civil
damages, you must detail the various losses suffered together with their
causes and then indicate the total value of the claim.

1.5. Can I get legal assistance before and /or during the proceedings?

Legal aid can be granted
at any stage of the proceedings provided the statutory requirements are met
and the proper formalities are observed, as described in the factsheet on
this topic.

1.6. What evidence will I be required to present in support of my claim?

All suitable means of
proving the alleged facts and supporting a decision in the case are accepted,
provided they are legally valid, relevant, appropriate as proof and can be
obtained. Specifically, documentary evidence, confession by the parties and
expert and witness statements are accepted.

1.7. If I am awarded damages by the court, is there any special assistance available to me as a crime victim for the enforcement of the judgment against the offender?

There is no special
assistance besides the appointment of a lawyer under the legal aid
arrangements. The lawyer appointed has the specific technical expertise and
should carry out the necessary procedural steps in order to ensure
enforcement.

2.2. Is the possibility limited to victims that have suffered certain types of crime?

Advances on compensation
can be paid by the State to victims of conjugal violence only for the
criminal offence of maltreatment between spouses or persons who live as such.

2.3. Is the possibility limited to victims that have sustained certain types of injury?

Only
victims who have suffered serious bodily harm and people entitled to
maintenance in the event of the victim's death can benefit from state
compensation. For the injury to be covered by the scheme, it must result in
permanent incapacity, temporary total incapacity for work of at least thirty
days or death.

The harm
suffered must have caused a serious deterioration in the standard of living
of the victim or the persons entitled to maintenance.

For victims of domestic
violence, loss resulting from physical or mental abuse is covered by the
scheme.

2.4. Can relatives or dependants of victims that have died as a result of the crime obtain compensation?

In the
event of the victim's death, persons entitled to maintenance under civil law
can apply for compensation from the State.

To help identify who
these persons are, it should be noted that the following are required to pay
maintenance, in this order: (a) the spouse or ex-spouse; (b) descendants; (c)
relatives in the ascending line; (d) siblings; (e) aunts and uncles, while
the person receiving maintenance is a minor; and (f) the stepfather and
stepmother in relation to stepchildren under age who are, or were at the time
of death of the spouse, under the latter’s care. In addition, anyone who had
been living with an unmarried or legally separated person at the time of the
latter’s death for more than two years under conditions similar to those of
spouses is entitled to apply for maintenance from the estate of the deceased.

2.5. Is the possibility of obtaining compensation limited to persons of a certain nationality or persons residing in a certain country?

No. Any
victim of serious bodily harm resulting directly from an intentional violent
act committed on Portuguese territory or on board Portuguese ships or
aircraft may benefit from the compensation scheme.

The same does not apply
to crimes committed abroad, for which the compensation scheme described here
applies only if the injured party is a Portuguese national and is not
entitled to compensation from the State on whose territory the loss was
suffered.

2.6. Can I apply for compensation in Portugal if the crime was committed in another country? If so, under what conditions?

Yes, on the conditions
described in the reply to the previous question.

For domestic violence, it
is necessary for there to have been a complaint or an official report.

2.8. Is it necessary to await the outcome of any police investigations or criminal proceedings before I can apply?

This is not a
requirement.

2.9. If the offender has been identified, is it necessary to first try to get compensation from the offender?

You should first try to
get compensation from the offender, because victims can obtain compensation
from the State only if they have not been able to obtain redress through the
enforcement of the sentence handed down following a claim for civil damages.
This condition is waived if it can reasonably be expected that the offender
and any other persons with civil liability will not repair the loss and if it
is not possible to obtain effective and sufficient redress from another
source.

2.10. If the offender has not been identified or convicted, is it still possible to qualify for compensation? If so, what evidence do I need to supply in support of my application?

Yes, it
is possible to apply for the compensation referred to above even if the
offender has not been identified, charged or convicted.

A
committee will examine the application, taking any measures which it considers
useful for that purpose, including: (a) hearing the applicants and those
responsible for paying the compensation; (b) requesting copies of complaints
and notifications relating to the facts of the offence; and (c) requesting
information on the professional, financial or social situation of those
responsible for repairing the loss from any natural or legal person or any
government office.

In the situation at
issue, the evidence must focus on the actual existence of a criminal offence.

2.11. Is there a time limit for making the application for compensation?

Yes,
there is a time limit. Applications must be made within a year from the date
on which the criminal offence was committed, otherwise the right to
compensation lapses. If criminal proceedings have commenced, the time limit
can be extended to one year after the decision terminating the proceedings is
handed down. In any event, the Minister for Justice can accept applications
after the deadline if justified psychological or material circumstances
prevented the application being made in time.

Applications for
compensation for loss caused by domestic violence must be made within six
months, but late applications can be accepted by the Minister for Justice on
the same terms as above.

The compensation will be
calculated with reference to criteria based on equity. Account will be taken,
among other things, of the extent of the loss, the degree of deterioration in
the standard of living of the victim or the persons entitled to maintenance,
the conduct of the victim or applicant and the amounts obtained from other
sources.

Yes, there are ceilings
on the compensation which can be awarded by the State.

2.15. Will compensation that I have received, or can receive, for the same losses but from other sources (such as insurance) be deducted from the compensation from the State?

All
amounts received from other sources, and specifically from the offender or
social security, will be taken into account. However, private life assurance
or personal accident insurance will be deducted only insofar as required by
the principle of equity.

If the victim receives
effective redress or compensation for the loss from any source after the
state compensation has been paid, the Minister for Justice, subject to the
opinion of the committee mentioned above, must require the repayment, in full
or in part, of the sums received.

2.16. Are there any other criteria that can influence my chance of receiving compensation, or how the amount of compensation is calculated, such as my own behaviour in relation to the event that caused the injury?

Yes. State compensation
may be reduced or withheld in the light of the victim's or applicant's
conduct prior to, during or after the facts or in the light of his relations
with the offender or his environment, or if his conduct is contrary to the
sense of justice or public order.

2.17. Can I get an advance on the compensation? If so, under what conditions?

In an
emergency you can request an advance on the compensation which is still to be
fixed; the advance may not exceed one quarter of the maximum amount.

For victims of domestic
violence, the amount of the advance is set taking account of the existence of
serious financial distress resulting from the crime and may not exceed the
monthly equivalent of the national minimum wage for a period of three months,
which may be extended by a further three months or, in situations of extreme
distress, a further six months.

2.18. Where can I get the necessary forms and further information on how to apply? Is there a special helpline or website that I can use?

Compensation is granted by the State at the request of the persons entitled to it and it is not necessary to use a special form. However, forms are available free of charge from the Comissão para a Instrução dos Pedidos de Indemnização às Vítimas de Crimes Violentos (Committee for examining requests for compensation to victims of violent crime) at Escadinhas de S. Crispim, n.º 7, 1149-049 ; the eâ€‘mail address is: josé.duarte@tac.mj.pt.

Lisbon

Further assistance can be obtained from the Portuguese Victim Support Association: website http://www.apav.pt/ ; eâ€‘mail apav.sede@apav.pt; tel. +351 707 2000 77 (weekdays from 10.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 17.00).

For victims of domestic violence there is a 24â€‘hour helpline. It is an anonymous and confidential service which provides victims with counselling, information about their rights and information about where they can get support.

The number is +351 800 202 148.

Victims of domestic violence can also obtain information from the following website:

Legal aid
is available for all court proceedings, whatever form they take. It also
applies, with the necessary adaptations, to proceedings involving
administrative offences.

Since the
application for state compensation is not brought before a court or made in
the context of proceedings concerning an administrative offence, legal aid is
not available for making the application.

However,
it should be pointed out that there are no costs involved in making the
application as the documents (certificates) required are free of charge.

Applications for state
compensation must be sent to the Committee for examining requests for
compensation to victims of violent crime,but addressed to the
Minister for Justice. The Committee is based in Lisbon at the address given at 2.18 in premises made
available by the Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Justice.

2.21. Are there any victim support organisations that can give further assistance?

Yes. There is the
Portuguese Victim Support Association (APAV) mentioned above.